Cucumber Carrot Salad

From northeastern Thailand, som tai is a salad Thais and farangs-the Thai name for foreigners-have come to love. It is traditionally made with grated green (unripe) papaya that is pounded slightly to soften the fibers before being tossed with lime juice, dried shrimp, and chilies. As the availability of green papaya in the United States is limited, we used cucumber and carrot. We also left out the dried shrimp in order to create a more delicate but still delicious dish.

Leave a Review

Reviews

Just ok for me. The recipe states that
you can make the salad 4 hours ahead,
but I would not recommend it. It did
wilt in the fridge and lacked a fresh
crispness that I was hoping for. I
like to make som tam (green papaya
salad) and was hoping for a nice
alternative that wouldn't necessitate a
trip to the asian market, but this
wasn't it for me. To note, the
flavor of the dressing is very good, I
just wasn't personally keen on the
texture of the vegetables.

Very good--fast, and with a definite taste of the Thai salad it's meant to approach. I added half a red onion that I had on hand, and served with a sweet/spicy fish and a salty-soy eggplant dish and white rice for balance.

I was flummoxed at how delicious this simple dish is! I couldn't get it out of my mind--I actually made it again the next day! It's true about the cucumbers making the dish watery if made in advance--I think 1-2 hours ahead is ideal; too far in advance, it's still a good dish, but doesn't pack the same punch as the freshly-made.